Little Dove
by sofia313
Summary: Elijah couldn't imagine who could hurt someone like her and he couldn't deny that he had thought that his brother had lost what was left of his humanity and truly become a monster. For once he was nothing but happy for being wrong.
1. Chapter 1

England, 1491

"Brother!" Kol greeted Elijah cheerfully. "It has been a while."

"Yes, it has," Elijah replied. "I was not aware that you were in England."

"Oh, I just arrived. I was in France; Paris is lovely this time of the year."

"Yes, I am sure it is."

Kol glanced at a servant boy who was standing quietly next to the wall and motioned him to fill his goblet. They were in the library; Elijah had just been informed that his brother had arrived.

"So, how are Bekah and Nik?" Kol asked and casually lifted his feet onto the table. He was sitting on Elijah's favorite chair in front of the fireplace.

"They are both fine," Elijah replied.

"Hmm. Nothing new?"

"Well… There are some things."

Kol didn't seem even slightly curious.

"Oh let me guess, Bekah have found another poor devil she thinks she is in love with and Nik is planning to kill him? Am I right?"

"Not quite, brother."

"What then?"

Elijah didn't have time to reply when a young woman entered the library. She was very young, only 14 and she was wearing a light purple gown. Her big doe eyes widened in surprise as she noticed Elijah and Kol.

"Oh, pardon me, my lord," she said and curtsied. "I did not mean to disturb you and your guest."

"That is quite alright, my lady," Elijah replied kindly. "As I said, you are welcome to come here whenever you like."

"Thank you, my lord, you are very kind."

Kol observed the girl before lazily standing up.

"And who might this little beauty be?"

Elijah hesitated for a brief moment before replying.

"Brother, this is the Lady Bethany. My lady, this is my brother the Lord Kol."

"Honor, my lord," she said, keeping her eyes on the floor.

"The honor is all mine," Kol replied. "Are you a guest here, my lady?"

"No, my lord, this is my home."

Kol raised an eyebrow and looked at Elijah.

"Her home?"

"Yes, brother," Elijah replied calmly. "Lady Bethany is Niklaus' wife."

For the first time in almost five centuries Kol was speechless. He stared at the girl disbelievingly.

"What? Are you kidding?"

The girl looked hurt, but she got over that quickly and forced a smile on her face.

"No, my lord. I had the honor to marry your brother."

"Please forgive my brother, my lady," Elijah said. "He is tired after his long journey; he did not mean to disrespect you."

"Of course, my lord," the girl replied. "I shall leave you to talk, excuse me."

She curtsied again before leaving the room. Kol was still stunned and Elijah couldn't deny that the look on his face amused him. Kol certainly wasn't speechless very often.

"What… Nik married a child?"

"Yes," Elijah replied calmly. "You know it is customary here to marry noble girls off when they are still young."

"Yes, young, but that one is a child. Why on Earth Nik married her? And how did you allow that?"

Those were both very good questions. When Niklaus had informed what he was planning to do, Elijah had been outraged. He hadn't believed what he was hearing and he had thought that Niklaus had lost his mind. As Kol had pointed out, the girl was still a child. A very innocent child. Elijah had become very fond of her during the time she had lived with them.

He couldn't imagine who could hurt someone like her and he couldn't deny that he had thought that his brother had lost what was left of his humanity and truly become a monster. For once he was nothing but happy for being wrong. What Niklaus had done for this girl… It seemed that there was still some hope for him after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 _2 months earlier_

 _Be submissive. Obey him. Do not cry. It will hurt._

 _Those were the instructions Bethany had been given for her wedding night. The truth was that she was terrified. Too terrified to even look at the man sitting beside her at the long table. The Lord Niklaus. Her husband. She didn't know him; they had barely spoken a word to each other. She had however heard some rumors. Not very pleasant rumors. Yet she tried her best to convince herself that maybe those rumors weren't true._

 _Not that it really mattered. He was her husband now, she belonged to him. She kept her eyes on her plate, but she really didn't have any appetite. The wedding feast had been prepared in a hurry, perhaps her father had wanted to make sure that Lord Niklaus wouldn't have time to change his mind. She had always been afraid of her father. He and her brothers enjoyed tormenting her._

 _"A toast!" her father's voice announced. "To the bride and groom!"_

 _Everyone raised their goblets._

 _"To the bride and groom!"_

 _"May she give you many sons, my lord," her father added._

 _People cheered and someone commented that Lord Niklaus would probably want to start making sons already. A flush was rising in Bethany's cheeks as people laughed. It had been only few days since she had bled for the first time. She had been afraid of that day and even prayed that it would never come._

 _"Well then, perhaps it is time for the bride to get ready!" her father said._

 _Everyone cheered again, Bethany felt nauseous. She couldn't do this. She didn't want to do this. She had to. Thankfully her legs could still hold her as she slowly stood up. Her brother Simon walked over to her and smiled before wrapping his arms around her. The gesture looked very brotherly, but nothing could have been further from the truth._

 _"I hope he makes you scream," Simon whispered in her ear._

 _Bethany shivered; she couldn't help it, although she knew that only gave Simon more amusement. He was smiling as he pulled away and kissed her cheek. Her other brother Raymond was smirking, he started to sing some vulgar song about a tavern wench who had a huge bosom and whose legs were always open. Some men joined him, Bethany felt sick to her stomach. Sure she had heard those kinds of songs her whole life, but right now she couldn't take any more. Two maids accompanied her as she headed to the hallway. The last thing she heard was her father's voice._

 _"Make your father proud, girl!"_

 _"Are you well, my lady?" one of the maids asked quietly as they walked across the hallway. "You look very pale."_

 _"I am fine, thank you," Bethany murmured._

 _None of them said anything else; there really wasn't much to say. The maids escorted her to her chamber, undressed her and brushed her hair. They left her sitting on the bed, wearing a white nightgown. Now she couldn't do anything except wait. She had no idea when her husband would join her. A tear rolled down her cheek, but she wiped it away._

 _Do not cry._

 _She wrapped her arms around her, trying to convince herself that everything would be alright. If she would just make it through this night… And the next night. And the night after that._

 _It will hurt._

 _She was scared. She had heard her mother screaming. She had seen her bruises. She missed her mother so much._

 _"Mama… Please protect me tonight…"_

 _She stood up immediately as the door opened. Her husband entered the room and closed the door behind him. Bethany kept her eyes on the floor and curtsied._

 _"My lord."_

 _He didn't say anything; slowly he made his way across the room and poured some wine into two goblets placed on the table._

 _"Come here," he finally stated._

 _Her legs were shaking, but she managed to obey. He handed her the other goblet._

 _"Thank you, my lord."_

 _"Drink it."_

 _Again she obeyed, although her hands were shaking as well. He walked over to the sofa, sat down and patted the spot beside him._

 _"Come, sit."_

 _She did, desperately fighting against panic. He kept a noticeable distance between them and carelessly took a sip out of his goblet._

 _"Alright, let's make few things clear right away," he stated. "First of all, nothing will happen between you and me tonight."_

 _Quickly she looked up, trying to hide her terror._

 _"My lord, if I have somehow displeased you…"_

 _"No, you have not."_

 _She couldn't understand._

 _"I…"_

 _"You have not done anything wrong," he cut in calmly._

 _She looked at him insecurely, trying to understand what he was saying. He sighed and looked at her._

 _"How old are you, love?"_

 _She blinked nervously before replying._

 _"14, my lord."_

 _"Yes. You are a child."_

 _"No, no, my lord, I can give you children, I…"_

 _"It's alright," he cut in and touched her shoulder. "As I said, you have not done anything wrong."_

 _"I… Forgive me, my lord, but I do not understand…"_

 _"Yes, I know." He paused and cupped her chin, gently lifting it until her eyes met his. "I am proposing a little different kind of arrangement. You are my wife, so you will have my name and my protection. And in return, I will have your loyalty."_

 _Her eyes widened._

 _"Yes, of course, my lord."_

 _He smiled._

 _"I am afraid you do not quite understand yet what I mean by loyalty. Well, it doesn't really matter; we can take one step at a time. First step, I want you to get some rest. You look exhausted and we have a long journey ahead of us."_

 _She was still very confused and she hesitated before speaking._

 _"You… You do not wish to…consummate our marriage?"_

 _"No, I do not. You will sleep in the bed and I will sleep here. You have nothing to fear, no harm will come to you."_

 _"But… My lord, if we do not… my father…"_

 _He seemed to understand what she was trying to say. Their marriage wasn't binding if it wasn't consummated._

 _"Ah. Well then, let's take care of that first."_

 _He stood up and walked over to the bed. She stood up as well when he pulled the cover down and picked up a knife. She was pretty sure that she understood what he wanted to do and held out her hand. He shook his head._

 _"No need for that, love."_

 _She gasped when he cut his palm._

 _"My lord…"_

 _"You can call me Klaus," he cut in as his blood was dripping on the sheet. "There, that should do it."_

 _"May I take care of your wound?"_

 _"Thank you, but that won't be necessary. It is not deep and I do not bleed much." He paused and motioned her to lie down. "Get some rest."_

 _She lied down, still feeling utterly confused. He returned to the sofa and emptied his goblet. If he wasn't going to bed her, why had he married her? She didn't know what to think. What did he want from her?_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 _2 months earlier_

 _Klaus crossed his arms as he observed the young girl who was petting some dogs in the garden. Lady Bethany, the daughter of the Lord Hugh. Klaus had just arrived at their estate. The family was low rank nobles and according to the rumors, they didn't have much fortune left. Lord Hugh was a known gambler and a drunkard. A very charming man. Right now he was hoping to sell his daughter in order to pay some of his debts._

 _According to Klaus' sources, Lord Hugh was more or less desperate. Of course he wasn't officially selling his daughter, he was trying to "find her a suitable husband", but that was basically the same thing. He would give her to whoever was willing to pay the most. There was no doubt that the girl was valuable merchandise, despite of her young age, she was already very beautiful with her golden curls and deep blue eyes._

 _Still she wasn't a woman yet, Klaus saw her as more of a child, and personally he wouldn't have touched someone so young. Apparently she was old enough to bear a child, but that didn't make her a grown woman. Many men didn't care though, they liked young girls. For example the Lord Maynard, Klaus noticed him also observing the girl from the other side of the garden. The lord was already in his late sixties, but he still liked young girls. He have had four wives, all of them had died at young age. Officially they have died on fever, but Klaus had heard some unofficial information as well. He had heard that two of the girls had taken their own life and two… Well, their death hadn't been natural either. Now he was looking for his fifth wife._

 _"Look at that little flower," Lord Maynard said to his companion whose name Klaus didn't know. "I cannot wait to have her honey all for myself. I will make her a woman and teach her how to please a man…"_

 _"Charming," Klaus huffed. At the moment he didn't really appreciate his vampire hearing._

 _"What did he say?" Maude asked._

 _"Trust me, you do not want to know."_

 _The elderly woman glanced at Klaus and snorted disapprovingly._

 _"No, I suppose I do not. Dirty old man…"_

 _Klaus definitely agreed, he found Lord Maynard repulsing._

 _"He is probably my biggest rival," Klaus stated._

 _"Yes, I think you are right. A dirty old man or not, but he is one of the wealthiest nobles in England."_

 _"Hmm. I will just have to outbid him then."_

 _Maude bit her bottom lip._

 _"Klaus… You know the girl is still very young…"_

 _"Yes, I am aware of that," he cut in, somewhat annoyed. "I am not heartless; I have no intention to touch her."_

 _Maude didn't comment on that, but she seemed pleased. Apparently she didn't think very highly of Klaus. Not that he could really blame her, she knew him better than most people._

 _"You are certain she is the right girl?" Klaus asked after a moment of silence._

 _"Yes, I am."_

 _"Hmm."_

 _She was laughing as the dogs chased her and licked her face when she picked them up. So young and innocent… And soon all his._

 _"I do not think that you have to worry," Maude stated. "I would imagine that her father will hand her to you on a silver platter, even if your offer won't match Lord Maynard's. You have more influence and connections."_

 _"It does not matter," Klaus huffed. "She will come with me, one way or the other."_

 _"What about your brother?" Maude asked. "Does he know?"_

 _"No and I am planning to keep things that way."_

 _"How are you planning to explain your marriage to him? I think he might have something to say about your bride's age."_

 _Klaus smirked; he could already picture the look on Elijah's face when he would take the girl home with him. His newlywed bride._

 _"Well… I will tell him that the lady needed some assistance. It is not a lie, is it? Without me, she would be married off to Lord Maynard."_

 _"And you think he will believe that?" Maude huffed._

 _"He will, because he wants to believe that. He has always hoped that I would find salvation. But who knows, maybe I will find it; I am after all helping someone."_

 _"Yes, you are a true hero," Maude huffed._

 _"Oh come on now," Klaus chuckled. "The girl will be safe with me; I have no intention to mistreat her in any way. Does that not make me her hero?"_

 _"Well, I suppose it does. Lord Hugh is a nasty piece of work; I have no doubt that the girl has experienced that more than once."_

 _"Hmm."_

 _Klaus had met Lord Hugh once before and he didn't particularly like the man. Not that it made any difference, he only wanted the girl. The thought of marrying a 14-years-old girl had sounded absurd at first, but he had to admit that it made perfect sense. This way she would legally belong to him. First he just needed to get the formalities, such as the wedding ceremony, out of the way. He sighed and glanced at Maude._

 _"Alright then, let's get this over with. Time to go and meet my future father-in-law."_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Kol was more than amused as he observed Nik and his "little wife". They were alone in the dining room, Elijah and Rebekah weren't here. Nik had been away the whole day and he had just returned home for the late supper. The girl was sitting next to him and she kept giving him adoring looks. The little lady seemed to worship her husband.

Nik, the noble savior of all the damsels in distress. The thought almost made Kol to burst into laughter. Could Elijah and Rebekah really be foolish enough to believe that? Oh please, it was obvious that Nik had something in mind. Kol didn't believe for a second that he would have married this girl out of the goodness of his heart.

"How was your day, my little dove?" Nik asked.

"Wonderful, Rebekah and I took a long walk in the garden and I practiced reading."

"That's very good. Perhaps you would like to read something for me?"

"Yes, of course, I am just not very good at it."

"Yet," he added. "I have no doubt that you will be."

She smiled, clearly happy about his words.

"I hope so. Could you also continue reading for me? I love to listen to you."

"Well, you have something in common then, darling," Kol stated while entering the room. "He also loves the sound of his own voice."

The girl stood up and curtsied while Nik gave Kol somewhat annoyed look.

"Brother. I wasn't told that you are here."

"Oh, forgive me," Bethany said. "I forgot to tell you."

"That's alright."

The girl looked at her husband and Kol, unsure of what to do.

"Shall I leave?"

Nik looked at her and smiled kindly. How very uncharacteristic of him.

"I could have a word with my brother if you don't mind."

"No, of course not."

She leaned towards Nik and kissed his cheek.

"Good night." She paused and looked at Kol. "Good night, my lord."

"Good night, darling," Kol replied, smiling charmingly. He could barely control himself until the girl had left the room.

"So…" he started innocently. "I heard that the congratulations are in order. Though I must say that I never thought you prefer little girls."

"Hilarious," Nik snorted. "I trust that Elijah told you why I married her."

"Yes, he told me the story about poor little lady being sold and so on, but that wasn't the whole truth, was it?"

"I don't know what you mean," Nik snorted.

"I think you do. Maybe you can fool Elijah and Rebekah, but you can't fool me. I know you, Nik, you never do anything for selfless reasons."

Nik smiled.

"I find that amusing coming from you, brother."

"Yes, exactly! You and I have a lot in common, that's how I know. Why did you really marry that girl?"

Nik was quiet for a brief moment before replying.

"She's innocent."

Kol waited for him to continue, but he didn't.

"And?"

"Perhaps I want to have that innocence for myself."

Kol frowned.

"You have bedded her?"

"No, of course not," Nik snorted. "What I meant was that she is loyal and appreciates everything I do for her. Unlike some other people."

"Right. You do realize that you just described a dog."

Nik's eyes narrowed.

"Watch your tongue."

"Oh please," Kol snorted. "Are you honestly trying to make me believe that you would care about her?"

"That's none of your business," Nik replied coolly. "All you need to know is that if you harm a hair on her head, you will spend the rest of the eternity in a coffin. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes, you are."

"Good," Nik stated and stood up. "Welcome home, little brother."

* * *

Bethany stood in front of the window in her bed chamber and looked up at the starry sky. She was barefoot, wearing a nightgown and she was ready to go to bed. Hopefully everything was alright with Klaus, he hadn't seemed very happy about his brother's visit. Bethany wasn't sure what to think of Lord Kol, he seemed different than Elijah. Klaus' older brother had never been anything but kind to her.

Lady Rebekah was nice as well, although she had asked Bethany some very uncomfortable questions. She had asked had Klaus hurt her or had they shared a bed. Those kinds of questions were hardly appropriate and she had let Lady Rebekah know that she wasn't comfortable talking about such private matters.

She hadn't dared to mention their conversation to Klaus, fearing that he would be upset with her. Did Lady Rebekah know that they hadn't consummated their marriage? Klaus had assured that Bethany was his wife and nothing could change that, but she was still concerned. What would his siblings say when there would be no child?

Klaus hadn't even kissed her on the lips; his touch was more like brotherly. He had said that she was too young; he only wanted to take care of her and get to know her. He was no doubt the kindest and the most selfless man she had ever met, she couldn't believe how fortunate she was. She was so lost in her thoughts that she startled when she heard a knock.

"Come in."

The door opened and Klaus entered her chamber. Her face brightened and she smiled warmly.

"Klaus! I wasn't expecting you."

"I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"No, no, of course not."

She noticed that he had a book in his hand.

"Do you want me to read for you now?" she asked.

"No, actually I was thinking to read for you, love. Since you mentioned that you enjoy listening to my voice."

She nodded eagerly.

"I do."

He smiled and gestured towards the bed.

"Shall we then?"

She walked with him to the bed and lied on her back without feeling any fear. She trusted him. He sat on the bed beside her and glanced at her bracelet before touching it.

"You haven't taken this off, have you?"

She shook her head.

"No, I shall never take it off."

The bracelet had been his first gift for her and he had asked her to always wear it. It was beautiful and she was honored to wear it.

"I apologize for being so busy," he said after a moment of silence. "Is everything alright? Is there anything you need?"

She hesitated before replying.

"I…"

"What is it, love? Tell me."

"Could I have a dog? I love dogs and I…"

"Yes," he replied simply. "I will arrange you a puppy tomorrow."

Her eyes widened before she got into a sitting position and pounced on him, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

"Thank you so much! Thank you, thank you!"

He patted her back and kissed her forehead before pulling away.

"You are welcome."

She was nothing but happy when she lied down and waited for him to start reading. He looked at her face for a moment and touched her cheek.

"Are you happy, my little dove?" he asked.

"Yes, very happy."

He smiled and touched her bracelet again.

"Good. Your happiness is very important to me."

"Thank you. I want you to be happy as well."

"Oh, no need to worry about that. I am very happy."

She was glad about that and she took his hand when he started to read to her. As she drifted into sleep, she felt like the happiest woman in the world.


End file.
